TOP 5 Hammer Horrors!

[Svengoolie 3]

Quatermass and the pit.
The quatermass experiment.
Island terror.
Burning island of the damned.
One of their mummy movies with Lee and cushng.

[RCMerchant]

One of their mummy movies with Lee and cushng.

That would be the MUMMY (1959) .

[RCMerchant]

Island terror.

You mean ISLAND OF TERROR (1966) with Peter Cushing? That wasn't a Hammer film. It was made by Island Films.

Burning island of the damned.

If your talking about ISLAND OF THE BURNING DAMNED (1971)- also not a Hammer film. By Planet Film Productions.

[Leah]

What's the opinion on Countess Dracula? I've only seen parts of it in a fan made music video for Ghost.

[BoyScoutKevin]

What's the opinion on Countess Dracula? I've only seen parts of it in a fan made music video for Ghost.

My opinion? I've seen it. I liked it. Probably the most distinctive thing about it, is how distinctively Hammer it is; for, as soon as you start to watch it, you know you are watching a Hammer horror.
Based loosely, very loosely, on the life of Countess Elizabeth Bathory de Esced, whose life, if not her death (after being found guilty of numerous crimes, she was apparently walled up in one suite of rooms in her castle, till the day she died) still generates controversy, as to what she may or may not have done, 400 years later. Her accomplices in all she did or did not do, not being so lucky, as not being of the nobility, as she was, but simple commoners were executed.

[RCMerchant]

In no particular order:


CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF(1961)..Roy Ashton's werewolf makeup on Oliver Reed is truly iconic with a great supporting cast.

I always wondered why this was Hammer's only Werewolf movie. I always felt let down by this one. Not enough werewolf.

Originally, it wasnt even slated to be a werewolf film; it was going to be a pseudo-historical film(like the later RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK) based on the horrors of the Spanish Inquisition. The sets were built and it was a go until Hammer execs become worried that it would offend the Catholic church and chickened out. It became a werewolf film then and that's why it was set in Spain due to the Spanish village sets made for the aborted film.

But why no more werewolf movies?
Amicus made the BEAST MUST DIE in 1974, and Tyburn made LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF in 1975)- both with Peter Cushing!
LEGEND was even written by the the writer for CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF- Anthony Hinds!

I don't know for sure, but I would guess that Werewolf's simply aren't as sexy as Vampires and Hammer figured out early that sex sells.

Mummies and Dr.Frankenstein aren't exactly pretty, but lotsa those films came out. Even a zombie, a reptile woman, 3 dinosaur movies, and some psycho thrillers- but one werewolf. It always seemed strange to me. Never figured it out.

[Svengoolie 3]

Sorry but due to a lifetime of conditioning starting in early childhood I can only see any horror movie with cushing and\or Lee in it as a Hammer movie... 

[RCMerchant]

Sorry but due to a lifetime of conditioning starting in early childhood I can only see any horror movie with cushing and\or Lee in it as a Hammer movie... 

You must excuse me for filling in the blanks. I know a lot about old horror movies. 

"It's my job, it's what I do." 

[RCMerchant]

If I had to pick 5 more- (and I have to because I just typed I was going to  )

11. VAMPIRE CIRCUS (1972) It's got vampires, it's got a circus, it's got a naked vampire tiger girl.
12. FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969) The most realistic of the Dr. Frankenstein series. The monster was so pathetic-I don't mean like Robot Monster, I mean pathetic like a dog with the mange. You fell sorry for him.
13. the CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)
14. HORROR OF DRACULA (1958) My second favorite Dracula after Lugosi is Christopher Lee. He made the role his own. And with the Bela Lugosi Dracula already an icon when he made this-that's a tough act to follow.
15. COUNTESS DRACULA (1971) 2 words- Ingrid Pitt.

[RCMerchant]

I made this gif of the Tiger Girl from VAMPIRE CIRCUS-

[Trevor]

The Devil Rides Out
Plague of The Zombies
Quatermass and The Pit
Demons of the Mind
Dracula (1958)

Also the Hammer House of Horror TV series which introduced me to Hammer in the first place 

[Svengoolie 3]

So no love for "the devil's bride"? Or was that not a hammer flick either?

[Trevor]

So no love for "the devil's bride"? Or was that not a hammer flick either?

I believe that was the other title for The Devil Rides Out.

[RCMerchant]

So no love for "the devil's bride"? Or was that not a hammer flick either?

I like that one. Yes- that one's a Hammer. A very good film!

[BoyScoutKevin]

The only way I could do this, was to come up with 5 vampire films and 5 non-vampire films. And then I had 2 films to the last list to get lists I could live with. So here goes . . .

Vampire
1. Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter.
It was suppose to be a series of films with Kronos hunting down various type of vampires, but it ne'er got pass the 1st one.
2. Countess Dracula
3. Horror of Dracula
The 1st in a string of vampire films starring Dracula. And, actually, one of the best (IMHO) depictions of Dracula among films.
4. The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires
Here comes Chinese Vampire. Hopping down the Vampire Trail. Hippity Hoppity. See him on his way. One of the few films to feature the Chinese Hopping Vampire. My one disappointment is that Chris Lee is not in it.
5. Vampire Circus
One of the most underrated films, vampire or not, from Hammer. It certainly was underrated, when it was 1st released to theaters.

non-Vampire
1. The Abominable Snowman
Not only the only Abominable Snowman made by Hammer, but one of the best (IMHO) of that type by anybody to date. Though, I keep hearing the rumor that Hollywood wants to do another Abominable Snowman.
2. The Curse of the Werewolf
3. The Hound of the Baskervilles.
Probably the 2nd best (IMHO) film version of the story. Only behind Basil's and Bruce's version.
4. The Gorgon
And for once Chris gets to play the hero.
5. The Plague of the Zombies
The only zombie film made by Hammer at that date and a good companion piece to our next film.
5.  The Reptile
The film that inspired much of Ken Russell's Lair of the White Worm.
5. She
Years later, I am still impressed by how impressed I was by it, when I saw it on TV. Oddly, the only actor that left me unimpressed was Chris Lee, who I forgot was in the film, till I saw it again later.

Though, as good or as not as any of these films were and the other Hammer Horrors, too. None did the business at the box office that On the Buses did. The film version of the '60's TV series. I have yet to see the film, but I certainly enjoyed the TV series.